Brockton National Guard request especially hurtful in 'Blackest city' in MA, opponents say

BROCKTON — In the wake of a controversial request from four school board members to deploy the National Guard at Brockton High — community members have been ignited behind the students, as many residents express concern over the racial implications surrounding deploying the Guard at the school.

Four committee members — Tony Rodrigues, Joyce Asack, Ana Oliver and Claudio Gomes — sent a letter to Brockton Mayor and School Committee Chair Robert Sullivan requesting he ask the governor to deploy the National Guard to help manage the shocking levels of student violence staff have reported. Sullivan said he was against deploying the Guard and Gov. Maura Healy declined the request but said the state will fully fund a safety and security audit for all Brockton Public Schools.

Sixteen residents took to the podium at the special School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 27 to speak out against deploying the National Guard at Brockton High — with many expressing concerns about having the National Guard presence inside a school where the student body is primarily students of color.

“We've heard about some of those consequences about the narrative that is being created about the Blackest city in Massachusetts,” said Rahsaan Hall, who organized a standout rally on Feb. 25 in support of BHS students and teachers after the National Guard debate thrust the high school into the national spotlight.

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Brockton High School has a student population that’s 85% students of color, according to Brockton Public Schools Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Included in that number are 63% of students who identify as Black and 15% who identify as Hispanic.

“We have felt the impact of those consequences, with images of our children being spread all across the nation as violent and uncontrollable, but that's not who Brockton is," said Hall, who serves as the president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts and made an unsuccessful bid for Plymouth County district attorney in 2022.

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When is the National Guard deployed to schools?

The National Guard has historically been deployed at the federal level during the time of desegregation and instances of racial discrimination.

“You wanted to bring soldiers who don’t know our kids, who don’t give a damn about our kids,” said resident Michelle Henson at the Feb. 27 meeting.

“I was very disappointed that it was you who wanted to bring this down on Black and brown children,” Henson told the committee members who made the request, several of whom are themselves people of color.

Brockton High on Fox News Brockton thrust into national spotlight over call to deploy National Guard at high school

The four committee members did not respond to The Enterprise's requests for comment.

But Asack did comment about the request at the March 5 School Committee meeting.

"That letter was not to be negative, and that letter should have never gone to the media," Asack said. "We didn't have the opportunity to speak to the governor, we asked for a meeting with the governor."

"We just wanted to sit down and see what resources we had, what resources are out there," Asack said.

National Guard calls ignite community

Many of the speakers were met with cheers and loud applause from the packed crowd inside Arnone Elementary School at the Feb. 27 meeting.

“This action has unfortunately portrayed our city in a negative light, affecting not only our reputation but also potential Investments,” said Jamie Hodges, who ran against Ana Oliver in the recent School Committee election.

“I never knew of any educators that would rely on a National Guard in an educational facility,” said Nichole Gatling, a Ward 1 Brockton resident of 23 years and former Brockton Public Schools parent.

“This is not a prison. You're raising children. We're raising leaders.”

Gatling, who pointed out that Brockton High has many students of color, asked, "During Black History Month, we're going to deploy the National Guard?"

Brockton NAACP: 'Will only exacerbate the school-to-prison pipeline'

Brockton Area Branch NAACP President Phyllis Ellis said the local NAACP sent a letter to Healy right after the National Guard request was made public stating they "unequivocally oppose" the deployment of the Guard.

"Increased police presence in schools often makes students of color feel less safe. Brockton HighSchool is comprised of mostly Black and Latinx students. With any student who has expressedunease with attending Brockton High School, the presence of the National Guard would onlyexacerbate these feelings of instability," said the letter from Brockton NAACP.

"The consequences of military deployment could be dire and these students do not deserve to attend school in an environment that is weaponized against them. This will only exacerbate the school-to-prison pipeline," the letter continues.

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Is Brockton High School safe?

The high school has struggled with a group of roughly 300-700 students causing daily violence and chaos in the hallways, along with open drug use and vaping, among other things, teachers have said. The student population at the high school is 3,586.

Teachers and staff at elementary and middle schools across the district have recounted similar behavior from students in their schools.

"All of them are not causing trouble. They need to pinpoint the bad people and see how we can help them," Ellis said in an interview with The Enterprise. "But they put all of us in the same category, a few are bad then all of them are bad. Brockton has a bad reputation."

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Brockton thrust into the national spotlight

Hall, along with other speakers, called the request by the four school board members to deploy the National Guard a "political stunt."

The school district has been thrust into the national spotlight in light of the situation and National Guard request. School board member Tony Rodrigues — who was elected vice chair on March 5 — appeared on national television, on Fox Business on Feb. 21 to make the case for deploying the Guard. And Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro did a segment with a large graphic "America's Youth Crime Crisis" and a banner about Brockton: "Massachusetts School Calls in National Guard Amid Spike in Violence."

Coverage of the National Guard request and situation at Brockton High School has also appeared on NewsNation and in the Washington Post, the New York Post and the Seattle Times.

“Get rid of your political agendas,” said John C. Williams, former mayoral candidate and founder of the Champion City Mentor Program, at the Feb. 27 meeting. “We need kids to see people that look like their uncle, that look like their older brother, that look like their fathers."

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Opponents slam call for Guard at racially diverse Brockton High